Cone Nast Publications, and Google. Beginning a career in editorial, Jan also worked in art and production in school publishing. Jan held various executive positions in subsidiary rights, licensing, database design, royalty conversions, contracts, copyrights & permissions departments.
Black Hawk Enterprises, LLC
Black Hawk Enterprises, LLC
Literary Agent
Contact: 203-938-7405
cell: 917-280-5709
17 Church Hill Road
Redding, CT 06896
Scholastic, Inc. (December 2006 – December 2008)
Contracts Manager
Negotiated trade and school contracts, work for hire, and other specialized licensed agreements with author and literary agents or attorneys for world’s largest children’s book publisher. Established new procedures to streamline contract process, reorganized contract functions,
Created a clause library for contracts, audio clause library and process manual, and deal memo and editorial workshop in PowerPoint.
Google, Inc.
Senior Contracts Associate (December 2003 – November 2006)
Review all service agreements/insertion orders and related contracts for leading Search & Media Company for Google’s AdWords products, Google Video, Google Earth, Google Enterprise, and Content Licensing agreements, Compliance, review and power of attorney for these time-sensitive domestic and international agreements. Position involves complete knowledge of all policies and procedures, and implementation of approvals/rejections of contracts in Google’s Internal Advertising System. Provide confidential reports for sales team, and liaison with Ad Finance, Ad Operations, Legal, and other departments. Represented the Sales Department in selecting authors to appear at Google under the Authors@Google program. Started a Google Museum Club with monthly trips in order to build team spirit within Google.
Time Warner Trade Publishing
Director of Contracts (February 1996 – May 2000)
Responsible for directing all aspects of publishing contract drafting, revising and negotiations for all divisions of major international book publisher. Supervised staff of managers, associates and assistants in drafting, negotiating, and revising comprehensive range of contracts for wide variety of publishing rights involving U.S., U.K., and other jurisdictions, including adults’ and children’s book agreements, contributor agreements (for illustrators, photographers, translators, and designers), co-edition agreements with museum and galleries, co-publishing arrangements, reprint and other subsidiary rights, electronic and audio agreements. Introduced/implemented a major imaging system for legal documents; designed layout screens for a publishing database; prepared training manuals for various departments; February 1998 promoted to Director of Contracts, Little, Brown & Company. Diverse and specialized duties the consistent exercise of discretion and independent judgment, conflict resolution and creative problem solving. September 1999 became Director of Contracts Information – company-wide database system.
Macmillan Publishing Company/Prentice Hall of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Director of Contracts, Copyrights & Permissions (1985-Febuary 1996)
Macmillan: negotiated trade publishing contracts for six publishers; supervised a staff of fifteen; reorganized contract functions; collected debts, designed contracts database system. (Macmillan was acquired by Simon & Schuster – 1994-1995): Promoted to Director of Contracts, Prentice Hall. Handled conversion of Macmillan into Prentice Hall, and all new School/College contracts, subsidiary rights contracts, amendment letters; designed reversion of rights and cancellation databases; supervised a staff of eighteen in order to enter royalty data into the Royalty system. Implemented and created a new system for print-on-demand for all college titles in order to use existing manufacturing functions. Designed an Editorial Workshop for all Editorial divisions.
Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Assistant Contracts Manager (December 1983-August 1985)
Negotiated contracts; responsible for collecting outstanding debts from authors (recouped over $350,000 in one year); amendment letters; artist agreements; translation agreements; reorganized contract functions and created Monthly Management report.
Scholastic Inc.
Rights & Permissions Associate (December 1980-December 1983)
Utilized all of Scholastic’s diverse publications; granted and obtained permissions, sold subsidiary rights, handled work-for-hire agreements, and operational systems.
St. Martin’s Press, Inc. - Subsidiary Rights Associate (January 1980-June 1980)
Salesperson: liaison/foreign agents in 14 countries; located viable marketplaces; sold magazine and foreign rights to domestic and foreign publishers for a list of 300 titles.
Lippincott & Crowell, Publishers – Executive Assistant/Contracts (November 1978-January 1980)
Reversion of Rights, permissions, CIP, assisted Foreign Rights Manager and Permissions Manager; design new forms; reorganized internal book coding systems (promoted)
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich -Production & Editorial Assistant (April 1977-Nov. 1978)
Scheduling, Plans of Production; purchase orders; checking proof, art/photo contracts; Editorial Assistant to eight science editors; maintained house standards for style, grammar, spelling. Promoted from Editorial Assistant to Production Assistant
Education: Elmira College: B.A. English Literature, June 1976, Certification in Secondary Ed. Exeter University - Junior Year Abroad, Exeter, Devon, England
Robert Fitch High School – Honor Society, 1972
TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
¨ Learning Annex: HOW TO NEGOTIATE A BOOK DEAL Course designed specifically for authors, agents, and editors. This course explains the complex and puzzling clauses within a publishing contract and prepares you for a negotiation. Various departments within a publishing company are explored. November 1, 2005, January 24, 2006, February 21, 2006, and March 21, 2006.
¨Learning Annex: PUBLISHING PANEL: HOW TO BE SUCCESSFULLY PUBLISHED Topic: How to structure a great book deal and all the other contractual aspects you’ll need to know. October 29, 2005
¨White Plains Continuing Education: INSIDE PUBLISHING AND HOW TO NEGOTIATE A BOOK CONTRACT Sept 2006. March-April 2007
¨Writers’ Conference: Watermark Writers’ Conference Key Note Speaker on Inside Publishing, Details of a Contract, Copyrights, Permissions, Releases, Agency Agreements, Assisting your publisher with subsidiary rights, promotion, publicity and marketing your book. Sept. 28-30, 2006, and March 21-April 2007.
LIBRARY PRESENTATIONS WITH HANDOUTS, PowerPoint Presentations
¨Waterford Library, Feb 3, 2007 Getting Published
¨Eastchester Library, February 26, 2007 You Wrote a Book, Now What?
¨Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Monroe,NY September 8, 2007 How to Get Published
¨Patterson Library, Paterson, NY September 15, 2007 You Wrote a Book, Now What?
¨Somers Library, Somers, NY September 22, 2007 Getting Published
¨ TAA Writers Conference, June 22-23, 2007 Contract Negotiations
¨ ASJA Writers Conference, New York City, April 20, 2007 Contracts Negotiations
Contracts Manager
Negotiated trade and school contracts, work for hire, and other specialized licensed agreements with author and literary agents or attorneys for world’s largest children’s book publisher. Established new procedures to streamline contract process, reorganized contract functions,
Created a clause library for contracts, audio clause library and process manual, and deal memo and editorial workshop in PowerPoint.
Google, Inc.
Senior Contracts Associate (December 2003 – November 2006)
Review all service agreements/insertion orders and related contracts for leading Search & Media Company for Google’s AdWords products, Google Video, Google Earth, Google Enterprise, and Content Licensing agreements, Compliance, review and power of attorney for these time-sensitive domestic and international agreements. Position involves complete knowledge of all policies and procedures, and implementation of approvals/rejections of contracts in Google’s Internal Advertising System. Provide confidential reports for sales team, and liaison with Ad Finance, Ad Operations, Legal, and other departments. Represented the Sales Department in selecting authors to appear at Google under the Authors@Google program. Started a Google Museum Club with monthly trips in order to build team spirit within Google.
Time Warner Trade Publishing
Director of Contracts (February 1996 – May 2000)
Responsible for directing all aspects of publishing contract drafting, revising and negotiations for all divisions of major international book publisher. Supervised staff of managers, associates and assistants in drafting, negotiating, and revising comprehensive range of contracts for wide variety of publishing rights involving U.S., U.K., and other jurisdictions, including adults’ and children’s book agreements, contributor agreements (for illustrators, photographers, translators, and designers), co-edition agreements with museum and galleries, co-publishing arrangements, reprint and other subsidiary rights, electronic and audio agreements. Introduced/implemented a major imaging system for legal documents; designed layout screens for a publishing database; prepared training manuals for various departments; February 1998 promoted to Director of Contracts, Little, Brown & Company. Diverse and specialized duties the consistent exercise of discretion and independent judgment, conflict resolution and creative problem solving. September 1999 became Director of Contracts Information – company-wide database system.
Macmillan Publishing Company/Prentice Hall of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Director of Contracts, Copyrights & Permissions (1985-Febuary 1996)
Macmillan: negotiated trade publishing contracts for six publishers; supervised a staff of fifteen; reorganized contract functions; collected debts, designed contracts database system. (Macmillan was acquired by Simon & Schuster – 1994-1995): Promoted to Director of Contracts, Prentice Hall. Handled conversion of Macmillan into Prentice Hall, and all new School/College contracts, subsidiary rights contracts, amendment letters; designed reversion of rights and cancellation databases; supervised a staff of eighteen in order to enter royalty data into the Royalty system. Implemented and created a new system for print-on-demand for all college titles in order to use existing manufacturing functions. Designed an Editorial Workshop for all Editorial divisions.
Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Assistant Contracts Manager (December 1983-August 1985)
Negotiated contracts; responsible for collecting outstanding debts from authors (recouped over $350,000 in one year); amendment letters; artist agreements; translation agreements; reorganized contract functions and created Monthly Management report.
Scholastic Inc.
Rights & Permissions Associate (December 1980-December 1983)
Utilized all of Scholastic’s diverse publications; granted and obtained permissions, sold subsidiary rights, handled work-for-hire agreements, and operational systems.
St. Martin’s Press, Inc. - Subsidiary Rights Associate (January 1980-June 1980)
Salesperson: liaison/foreign agents in 14 countries; located viable marketplaces; sold magazine and foreign rights to domestic and foreign publishers for a list of 300 titles.
Lippincott & Crowell, Publishers – Executive Assistant/Contracts (November 1978-January 1980)
Reversion of Rights, permissions, CIP, assisted Foreign Rights Manager and Permissions Manager; design new forms; reorganized internal book coding systems (promoted)
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich -Production & Editorial Assistant (April 1977-Nov. 1978)
Scheduling, Plans of Production; purchase orders; checking proof, art/photo contracts; Editorial Assistant to eight science editors; maintained house standards for style, grammar, spelling. Promoted from Editorial Assistant to Production Assistant
Education: Elmira College: B.A. English Literature, June 1976, Certification in Secondary Ed. Exeter University - Junior Year Abroad, Exeter, Devon, England
Robert Fitch High School – Honor Society, 1972
TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
¨ Learning Annex: HOW TO NEGOTIATE A BOOK DEAL Course designed specifically for authors, agents, and editors. This course explains the complex and puzzling clauses within a publishing contract and prepares you for a negotiation. Various departments within a publishing company are explored. November 1, 2005, January 24, 2006, February 21, 2006, and March 21, 2006.
¨Learning Annex: PUBLISHING PANEL: HOW TO BE SUCCESSFULLY PUBLISHED Topic: How to structure a great book deal and all the other contractual aspects you’ll need to know. October 29, 2005
¨White Plains Continuing Education: INSIDE PUBLISHING AND HOW TO NEGOTIATE A BOOK CONTRACT Sept 2006. March-April 2007
¨Writers’ Conference: Watermark Writers’ Conference Key Note Speaker on Inside Publishing, Details of a Contract, Copyrights, Permissions, Releases, Agency Agreements, Assisting your publisher with subsidiary rights, promotion, publicity and marketing your book. Sept. 28-30, 2006, and March 21-April 2007.
LIBRARY PRESENTATIONS WITH HANDOUTS, PowerPoint Presentations
¨Waterford Library, Feb 3, 2007 Getting Published
¨Eastchester Library, February 26, 2007 You Wrote a Book, Now What?
¨Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Monroe,NY September 8, 2007 How to Get Published
¨Patterson Library, Paterson, NY September 15, 2007 You Wrote a Book, Now What?
¨Somers Library, Somers, NY September 22, 2007 Getting Published
¨ TAA Writers Conference, June 22-23, 2007 Contract Negotiations
¨ ASJA Writers Conference, New York City, April 20, 2007 Contracts Negotiations
